The television industry, in all of its facets, has and continues to produce and vend both recorded and unrecorded television tapes. The recorded television tapes run the full spectrum of subject matter, as for example, educational and instructional material, copies of motion picture film ("movies") and sporting events. The unrecorded tapes are, for the most part, employed by the general public in recording such things as personally experienced events (which are sought to be preserved in time) and recording selected television broadcasts as for later viewing.
When such television tapes, both recorded and unrecorded, were first introduced into the marketplace, they were referred to as Video Cassette Recording Tapes and shortly thereafter, and at the present, such are referred to by the acronym, VCR, which has become a generic term for both recorded and unrecorded television tapes. (The acronym, VCR, will hereinafter be employed in its generic sense as applying to any and all cassettes of television recording tapes.)
The television industry has not settled on a unified size or format of VCR tape. For example, presently there are VCR tape formats commonly referred to as; VHS, BETA, 8 mm. and "C" or VHSC with each of such differing from the others not only in applied technology but also in physical size and configuration.
It is common for individuals and/or households (having VCR recording and/or play-back apparatus) to attain an expanding library of recorded VCR tapes by the continued accumulation of a plurality of recorded VCR tapes which are desired to be preserved in that recorded state. Further, it is not rare that such a library of recorded VCR tapes may be comprised of two or more differing formats as, for example, any of the formats hereinbefore identified. Also, many of such individuals or households have a continuing expanding library of audio recordings which may be in the form of tapes and/or disks. Again, the physical dimensions of such audio recordings differ from the various video formats hereinbefore identified.
The greater in number of recorded VCR tapes and/or audio recordings comprising such a library, the greater, of course, becomes the problem of physically storing them especially in a manner which permits the ready access to any selected one or more of the recordings as for play-back purposes. This problem is further compounded by the fact that if the library is comprised of two or more formats of recorded VCR tapes, and possibly audio recordings, the physical sizes and configurations of such recorded VCR tapes and audio recordings vary from each other. Also, in households having a number of members, some of which may be of relatively young age, it is highly desirable that the library of recordings be stored in a manner whereby, in the main, access to the library may be restricted as to prevent the generally unauthorized use of any of such recordings thereby preventing for example, as in the case of tape recordings, the accidental or undesired electronic removal of the material recorded on such tapes. Also, such restricted access to the library of recordings may well prevent physical damage thereto or loss thereof.
Further, in some households, for personal reasons (aesthetic or other) it is desired not to store the library of recorded VCR tapes as to be in clear view of, for example, guests of that household and yet ready access to the library of tapes is desired.
Heretofore, the prior art has failed to provide any storage system or structure which would fulfill the aforestated needs and desires.
The invention as herein disclosed and described is primarily directed to meeting the aforestated needs as well as to the solution of other related and/or attendant problems of storage of recordings whether such be audio or video.